From Sunderland struggles to Premier League revelation, Steele's unlikely rise now earns him an England call-up, proving doubters wrong.
Jason Steele has been called up to the England national team for the first time in his career, at a mere 35 years of age!
The crazy part? Everyone doubts him, again. But we’ve seen this all before…
Less than a decade ago, Jason Steele was a down-and-out at his boyhood club, Sunderland. The ‘Sunderland Till I Die’ documentary emphasised his struggles on a scale that he could never have imagined.
Labels of being not good enough followed Steele throughout his career, even after he arrived at Brighton & Hove Albion in 2018.
As his announcement hit Twitter (X), Sunderland fans had already flooded the comments wishing Brighton all the best with the transfer, due to how bad the signing could have been.
In 2022/23, everything changed. Roberto De Zerbi transformed Jason Steele.
His career took a total turn, from someone who was totally unheard of, into a player pivotal in Brighton’s first-ever trip to European football. His ability with the ball at his feet and distribution were key alongside players like Levi Colwill and Lewis Dunk as Brighton played the traditional possession-based football that De Zerbi was known for.
Steele never panicked; the patient buildup and emphasis on the ball at his feet allowed him to play some of the bravest football any goalkeeper had to during this period, and it was very effective.
The leadership qualities Steele gained from these experiences were second to none. Taking charge of Brighton’s back room since, and providing value both on and off the pitch, has been the storyline of his recent Albion career.
Steele was significant after De Zerbi’s departure, as a young 31-year-old Fabian Hurzeler took the job on the South Coast.
During this period, Steele took the role of keeping up the motivation amongst a very young squad, alongside players like James Milner, Lewis Dunk and Danny Welbeck. Supporting Hürzeler’s takeover has been one of the more undervalued aspects of Brighton’s success both on and off the pitch since the German head coach’s takeover.
This level of leadership has been taken on by Thomas Tuchel’s England side, who see a pathway for him within their current set-up.
An opportunity to meet the players and the team around Tuchel’s staff could prove very effective for England in the medium to long term.
Steele, working alongside top coaches, has gained experience he described as “changed his life”, whilst guiding Brighton to European football for the first time in their history.
The bigger shock than his call-up? His future as an England coach could be, subtly, one of the most exciting pieces of news to come out of the squad announcement than anything else.